May Midget Chassis - TC Motoring Guild

May 2008
The Midget Chassis
David Edgar, Editor
1454 Chase Terrace
El Cajon, CA 92020
First Class Mail
Here is a sneak detail preview of the first of Doug Pelton’s TC
EXUs nearing completion. The wiring to the regulator shows
his attention to detail. The TC is at the upholstery shop now
and he is waiting for the front wings (which the painter has
had for 15 months).
What’s Inside
April Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Upcoming Tours & Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SU Carb Dashpot Caps by Doug Pelton . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7
Memorable Rides: Ninth in a Series by Stan Belland . . . .8-9
Vintage Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
For Sale and Wanted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
March Meeting Minutes and Program Photos . . . . . . .12-13

C&S Classic Battery Co
Batteries, Chargers, Electrical & Parts
TCMG April Meeting
Tuesday April 22th at 8:00 PM
email simon90248@yahoo.com
15700 S. Broadway
Gardena, Calif. 90248
818-708-2033 - 310-217-9060
“Optima Introductory Special”
Battery for TC #75/35 Red Top $146.00
Ron Simon
The
MIDGET CHASSIS
MAY 2008
Published in
Southern California by the TC
Motoring Guild,
PO Box Number 3452,
Van Nuys, California 91407.
The Classic Chassis is
published semi-annually and
The Midget Chassis fills in on
the remaining months.
Citibank Community Room
2350 Honolulu Ave.
Montrose
(Meeting room entrance is
at the rear of the bank--
downstairs.)
Guest speaker, Dick Messer: “The Petersen
Auto Museum – An Automotive Fantasy”
Dick is the museum
director for the Petersen
Automotive Museum, which
is recognized internationally
for its innovative design.
It is dedicated to the
interpretive study of
the automobile and its
influence on our culture
and lives. Encompassing
more than 300,000
square feet, it features
more than 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and
motorcycles. As you can imagine there are quite
a few stories Dick can relate about his exciting
job as well as the museum itself.
All contributions: articles,
letters, advertisements, and
captioned photos for the next
issue should be sent to:
The Classic Chassis
c/o David Edgar,
1454 Chase Terrace
El Cajon, CA 92020
email: djedgar@pacbell.net
08 TCMG Directory
TC Motoring
Guild
2008
Thank you all who
have renewed their
membership for
2008. The TCMG
Directory should be
ready to mail out
early next week so
be looking for it in
your mailbox.
Editorial Comments
Please note the new Moss ad and for
those viewing the electronic PDF copy
you will see that it is in color now. And
note too that O’Connor Classic Autos
has a new address on their business
card ad on the previous page. They
moved on April 1st. Take time also
to view all our other advertisers who
help support funding of this newsletter.
Please support them as well.
Deadline for
submissions to the
June Midget Chassis
May 10th!
TCMG Executive Council 2008
President Dave Coleman . . 714-898-2008 davidmcoleman@yahoo.com
Vice President Ron Simon . . . . . 818-708-2033 simon90248@yahoo.com
Secretary David Edgar . . . . 619-593-8255 djedgar@pacbell.net
Treasurer
and Membership Joyce Edgar . . . . 619-593-8255 djedgar@pacbell.net
Ex Officio Steve Simmons. . 818-313-8588 websim@pacbell.net
Events Gene Olson . . . . 805-522-8052 olson_g@msn.com
Programs Stan Belland . . . 818-787-1152 stanuys@earthlinknet
Classic Chassis Dave Edgar . . . . 619-593-8255 djedgar@pacbell.net
Webmaster Jim Crandall . . . 310 457 3967 crandallonline@yahoo.com
Raffle Chair Tony Henkels . . . 626-793-2813 chkitty@sbcglobal.net
Regalia Chair Bob Wilmer . . . . 310-394-5232 (none)
3

Other Events of Interest
April 26
Great Looks & Great Books”
Triumph Gathering 8 AM- 2 PM at
Autobooks/ Aerobooks,
3524 W Magnolia, Burbank
April 26
Healeys at the Driving Museum
El Segundo
http://www.austin-healey.org/
May 4
British Extravaganza Buttonwillow
June 28
Easley Pacific Rail Road See Art
Ludwick’s new, improved train and
his neighbors famous castle.
Sunday, April 27
77th Annual Joe Douglas
Tour de Wildflowers
Poppies are bustin’ out all over. Leave 9:30
AM from McDonalds at 2nd Castaic exit from
San Diego Fwy (405). Our trusty scout ( Joe
Douglas) reports roads are open and flowers
should be beautiful. Bring a Picnic lunch.
Riverside International Automotive Museum
VMG tour but
TCMG is invited
Meet at Carl’s Jr., 1700 South Imperial
Hwy. Yorba Linda. (At the N. E. corner
of Imperial and La Palma) at 9:00 AM.
We will leave promptly at 9:30 and
arrive at the museum about 10:30 for
coffee and donuts and the tour. A $5.00
entrance donation is suggested for the
museum.
After the tour we will drive to the
Riverside Mission Inn. Free parking
at the corner of 6th St. and Market St.
(OK, so 77th might be stretching it a
bit but now we have your attention.)
APRIL 19, SATURDAY MORNING MUSEUM TOUR
815 Marlborough, Suite 200, Riverside, California 92507
Lunch and shopping will be on your
own at your leisure. There are many
restaurants at the Main St. Mall and
Mission Inn. After lunch, consider
touring the Mission Inn or looking
through the Antique stores and small
shops.
We hope to see many of you and your
MG’s out (other car’s welcome) for a fun
day in Riverside. Questions: Call Lloyd
Hendrickson at (626) 330-0016.
May 17
Hollywood Hills Tour with VMG.
Meet new people (or if you belong to
both clubs, get 2 credits for one drive)
MEET at Evan Humphreys house
5842 Coretta, North Hollywood. 9-
9:30 for breakfast, Leave at 10 AM.
Please RSVP to Gene Olson 805-
522-8052. Buffet breakfast will be
provided; we need a count.
Oct 3-5
TCMG/ARR Conclave (see pg 9)
Dec 7
TCMG Holiday Party at the Hotel
Huntington Beach (see pg 14)

SU CARB DASHPOT CAPS
by Doug Pelton
The following information is a summary
of my finding on the different engraving
on the tops of the dash pot oil caps.
It is by no means conclusive as there
where limited responses to validate
information. The following examples are
discoveries to date and their “assumed”
vintage. All of these caps are brass and
have a knurled edge similar to the edge
of a US quarter.
1. Prewar and very early TC (Maybe
just enough to use up prewar supplies)
These caps had a slot. Also noteworthy,
is the fact that there were no dampeners
on the early caps. Early float bowl lids
had a different casting and were chrome
plated. The banjo bolt fittings were
smooth and rounded. Markings:
Above the slot:
USE
Below the slot:
BICYCLE
OIL
2. Early TC - Lettering 1/16” high.
These early TC carbs can be easily
identified with their distinctive butterfly
spindle joiner between the two carbs.
(Reference Mike Sherrill’s TC’s Forever,
page 248.)
REMOVE & USE
THIN OIL
MONTHLY
3. Late TC
- Lettering
less than
1/8” high.
These oil caps
were definitely found on cars in late
1948 and 1949, and specifically on the
EXU’s. However, this oil cap seems to
be somewhat of a rarity and may have
been an interim or limited production.
Markings simply show:
OIL
4. Late TC and Early TD - Lettering
1/16” high. These oil caps are very
prominent. An interesting finding is that
many of these had the word “Reservoir”
spelled incorrectly. Instead “Reservior”
was stamped on the cap. I have 1 of
these and they have been commonly
reported.
OIL
RESERVOIR (RESERVIOR)
A few TC owners report having black
plastic caps with a knurled edge that said
“Few Drops Thin Oil Month”. These
were probably adapted from later model
MGs when the original brass caps were
not available. However, I would like to
hear from more on these types.
The cap went from round to hex with
the TF so it would be inappropriate for
a TC. Another cap, that has been seen
is an aftermarket
item, is the cap with
an brass MG crest.
It looks nice and
adds that MG touch.
All of these caps
(except the MG cap)
are available from
Burlen Fuel Systems and can be seen on
their web page www.burlen.co.uk
Click on SU Carb Spares and then
Damper Caps
I would welcome any comments and
corrections to the above. My data is very
sparse so again I caution anyone drawing
any absolutes from the above.
Also, as a request, I am personally trying
to locate 2 caps that say “OIL” for my
EXU show car. I would request that they
lack any major scratches. I am willing to
purchase or trade existing caps for them.
Doug Pelton
602-690-4927
1948 TC 7410 EXU Dec 48
1949 TC 7670 EXU Jan 49

Long love affairs accumulate memories. Mine
with cars has lasted now for about 60 years and
a million miles. Small wonder then, that when I
peer back along that road of memory, some short
sections shine in my mind’s eye.
My Memorable Rides
Ninth in a series by Stan Belland
August, 1985 Monte Carlo, Monaco
It had been an ambition of mine to drive the Monaco Grand Prix route ever since
I had seen the 1966 Frankenheimer film, “Grand Prix”, a film short on plot but
very long on race driving special effects. In fact, it had won an Oscar for the
racing sequences. For years I had carried around vivid recollections of the sequence
in which James Garner comes out of the famous tunnel and hurtles his formula 1 car
over the wall and into the blue Mediterranean.
I had business in Europe and Esther and I decided
to rent a car after my meetings and do some touring.
During preparations for the trip, I mentioned to my
client that we planned to drive the French Riviera
and he sent me a special invitation from “Societé
des Bains de Mer de Monaco”, better known as the
Monte Carlo Casino. This was an admission to the
upstairs casino, which at that time was restricted to
members and invited guest and required black tie.
Taking advantage of the opportunity required packing
my tux but it seemed too good an experience to miss.
We rented a car in Paris and headed east to Aix en
Provence where the clientʼs office was located and
then headed toward the Riviera. Notwithstanding the glamour of the trip, the car
we rented was a Ford Escort, a tinny, underpowered little car, but adequate for our
purposes.
As we wandered east toward Monaco, Esther was excited about a night at the
Casino, but my thoughts were on the chance to drive the famous, 2.8 mile grand prix
course. Monte Carlo is a beautiful little city in a country of less than three-quarters
of a square mile, overflowing with money and all its trappings. The Hotel de Paris is
elegant and outrageously over priced and we were well out of our depth but enjoying
every minute of it. The valet took our little car with frosty courtesy and slightly
flared nostrils.
The night at the casino is still a memory
we savor. We were all dressed up with
someplace to go and we made the most
of it, trying hard to act as if we belonged
there. The upstairs gaming room is
a little hard to describe. Red plush,
tapestries, statuary, stained glass, ankle
deep carpeting and an elegant hush over
everything as the beautiful people who
really did belong there stood and sat around tables, playing games we couldnʼt
understand and didnʼt dare try. At the end of the evening we played the slots
we found in one of the downstairs rooms and did pretty well, although it had no
relationship to the slots in Vegas.
The next morning at breakfast, I reviewed
the map I had brought of the race route and
believed I had it pretty well memorized. Itʼs
a very twisty circuit through narrow city
streets with a lot of tough grade changes and
I was hyped and feeling like Alberto Ascari
(who went over the ocean wall in the 1955
Monaco Grand Prix).
We putted out in our little Escort and, with
Esther as my navigator, found the starting
point, and we were off. Sometimes anticipation and imagination can make the most
pedestrian event seem to be something else entirely. I drove the circuit with all the
flair I could muster at top speeds approaching 40 miles an hour but with visions of
racing glory flashing through my head. Thereʼs a long and dark tunnel toward the
end of the circuit where you suddenly break out of the darkness onto a long straight
with the sun blinding you and the bright Mediterranean on your left, guarded only by
a low stone wall. At that point I was Pete Aron (played by James Garner, played by
me) and the shrill, beautiful sounds of formula 1 cars were in my ears.
I know it all sounds very Walter Mitty, but it happened to me and it was delightful.
Some day, if they are interested, Iʼll tell my grandkids about how grandpa drove the
Monaco Grand Prix – and I may leave out that I drove it in a Ford Escort.
52nd Annual TCMG/ARR Conclave
October 3-5
25 rooms reserved at the Yosemite
Gateway Inn, in Oakhurst, for the
first weekend in October.
Friday, Oct 3 and Saturday the 4th.
The price is $107 plus tax.
Call 1-888-256-8042.
The rooms are under “MG Group”. We
will have the Saturday dinner in the
banquet room at their restaurant.

When I was younger and had too
much time on my hands, I conducted
experiments with various weights oils in
the SU carburetor dashpots. I tried 20W,
30W, 40W, ATF, and sewing machine
oil (3 in 1). The oil acts as a damper to
piston rise. Lighter weight oils result
in a faster rise of the piston. Faster rise
places more fuel into the combustion
chamber. Slower rise yielded slower
acceleration times. What I ended up
with was you burned more fuel with
lighter oils, but got better acceleration.
Photo by Thelander
Carb Dashpot Oil
The heavier oils, after 20W, really
dropped the acceleration times.
You got better mileage with 20W, than
lighter oils, and acceptable acceleration.
So, 20W was probably determined to be
a good all around by the factory.
Bill Phy told me about vacuum pump
oil. Same viscosity hot or cold. That is
what I’ve used since being told about it
maybe 15 years ago.
John Seim, Irvine, CA
MGVR event at Laguna Seca
Photo by Steve
Pages and
Simmons
in front of
Simmons’
MGC GTS
MG Vintage
Racers at
Laguna Seca,
April 12-13
Steve Simmons
takes George
Kershaw for a
ride around the
race track
Photo by Steve
Pete waves to the crowd during
a cool-down lap
MGTC WANTED!!
For Sale and Wanted
Looking for a TC on behalf of a friend:
• Should be in good condition but not
concours perfect
• Should not require restoration - wants
to be able to drive it now
• May be any year or any color
Contact: Gordon Glass ghgmlg@yahoo.com
ph: 949-644-1954
1947 MGTC for Sale
Richard Hillman who was a member
of the TCMG is selling his TC. It is on
consignment at British Sports Cars in SLO.
Check out the web site for photos and info
(half way down on the vehicles for sale
list). Phone: 805-544-2277 or
www.britishsportscars.com
MGTC WANTED!!
I want to buy a TC that is
mechanically solid. I don’t care
too much what it looks like. I
can’t afford a fully restored
car, as much as I would like
one. But I want one that is very
drivable, even if cosmetically
it needs work. My intent is
not to restore it for a profit. I
just love TCs, as all of you do,
and I miss driving and owning
one (I’ve owned 5 TCs and a
TD). Anybody have any good
leads? I welcome any thoughts
or suggestions you might
have. I’m located in Southern
California.
Thanks very much,
Larry Pate
Redondo Beach, CA
larry.pate@gmail.com
Quite the crowd before the meeting ever
started.
Pete and Fran Thelander with
their award for “Favorite
M.G. Vintage Racer”,
presented by the Pebble
Beach Sports Car Club
George
Kershaw
and Steve
Simmons
help Pete
detail
the NE
Photo by Linda
Photo by Scott Brown
Pete gives Linda Simmons a ride in the NE
Photo by Steve
Not shown but also there were TCMGers
Kevin Kershaw and Allan Chalmers.
NEW SU CARBS for TC
Brand spanking new SU carbs for TC with
original packing. Bought them and then
found some rebuilt ones I could not pass
up. $1050 for the pair (Moss lists them for
$1395 plus tax).
David Edgar,
djedgar@pacbell.net
or 619-593-8255

March Meeting Minutes & Program
Our meetings have become so world
famous that we even had the shuttle
astronauts fly over for it. George
Kershaw mentioned that both the space
station followed by the shuttle would
be visible overhead at 8:05 and so
many of us trekked outside to view it.
Sure enough, from out of the southern
sky came a white speck followed by
a second white fleck in the sky. Both
disappeared to the north after a couple
minutes. That was the first time I had
ever seen either in the sky live.
Thanks George for cluing us in.
So we wandered back in and
our illustrious president, Dave
Coleman, got our meeting started
at 8:11. We approved the minutes
of the last meeting as printed in
the March Midget Chassis.
Joyce, our treasurer, reported we
are still solvent. Treasurer’s report
with details are posted on the wall
for inspection for those that want
to see details. She also reported
we currently have 101 members
renewed for 2008. Directory will
be assembled and mailed out soon.
Speaker - Tony Henkels
Photos by David Edgar
Usual items were in our mail box,
Safety Fast, other magazines plus
the AAR newsletter. Items are
available for anyone to look at,
and or take.
Only item brought up in Old
Business was the GoF auction
donation. Cindy Henkels already
has purchased a couple items and
is working on several more.
As far as New Business, George
mentioned Fran Thelander had
arthoscopic knee work done last week
and is doing well.
Tour reports began with the recent
Snow Tour. Dreary weather at the start,
but once up on the mountain it turned
out to be WONDERFUL and the small
band in the group had a fabulous time
building a little snowman and then
placing it onto Olson’s TC bonnet.
Future wildflower tour was mentioned.
Reports of many flowers being visible
were reported so should have flowers
Tony sure had a big smile on his face as he
told stories about his Linlcoln.
March Minutes & Program (continued)
to see. However, Joe mentioned there are hardly any
at our usual location. Should a tour take place, April
27 was thought to be a good time. Need to see what
future rains bring. Also mentioned was that the Palm
Springs Weekend had been postponed.
Lloyd Hendrickson invited our Guild members to tag
along on his VMG tour to the Riverside Automotive
Museum on April 19. And George mentioned the
VMG Hollywood Hills tour on May 17 is open as
usual to our members as well.
Susie Coleman is looking for places to hold the
Holiday Party. Dec 7 seems to be best to avoid
conflicting with the VMG and ARR parties so are
aiming for that date. The Hotel Huntington Beach
seems to be the favored spot so far.
Your humble TCMG Secretary,
David Edgar
Tony was an
animated speaker
communicating
with a smile, his
voice and hands.
Thanks Tony
for bringing
the photos
and the
stories.
Lloyd had posession of the first
winning raffle ticket and elected
to take Al Moss’s new book “The
Other Moss.” Susie choose the
$20 Trader Joe’s gift certificate
while George was quite happy with
the very useful helping hand tool,
perfect for his model building.

TCMG Annual Meeting / Holiday Party
Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008
6 PM - 11 PM
Annual Meeting and Holiday Party
plus
Auction and Toy Drive
Free self parking
Hotel Huntington Beach
7667 Center Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Special rate at the hotel
of $85 a night if reserved
before Nov. 23
Group name: TCMG
GoF West 2008
Monterey Bay, California - July 6-10
Event Registration Fee:
www.gofwest.com
$55 or In-Spirit for $25
Send the following info plus check to:
Mike Campbell, 3570 Willow Street, Bonita, CA 91902 Hotel Information
(Make your own reservations)
Name
Address
Phone
eMail
Hyatt Regency Hotel Monterey
1 Old Golf Course Road
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: 1-831-372-1234
Standard room: $159.00
MG year, model, license and color
Club Affiliation
Club Regalia
‘TClinics’
Send for a free index of over 60 ways to keep your MG “TC” operating safely and
reliably. Each “clinic” is 20 cents. Non-members pay 50 cents for the index. Index is
also on our web page at:
www.tcmotoringguild.org/tclinicindex.html
“MG Through the Ages”
MG in pictures, 18” x 24” poster ...........$1.75 members, $2.75 non-members
TCMG Club Badge ............ $25 if picked up, $30 if mailed (members only)
TCMG Club Pin ....................... $3 if picked up, $5 if mailed (members only)
“MGTC Specifications”
What is and what isn’t stock on the MG-TC? A “must” for restorers..... $3.00
members, $5.00 non-members
TCMG Cloth Emblem ......................................................................... $4.75
REGALIA CHAIR
Bob Wilmer, 421 17th Street, Santa Monica, California 90402 Ph. 310-394-5232
Prices beyond our control subject to change
U.S. postage is included in prices (international postage is extra)
http://www.jctaylor.com/Antique/antique.html
or write:
J.C. Taylor Antique Automobile Insurance
320 South 69th Street
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania